


When I Met You

by pickalily



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26113330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickalily/pseuds/pickalily
Summary: “Porco, what did you think of me when we first met?”“What did I think?” Porco repeats. He bites off another piece of the licorice wheel, chewing thoughtfully as he remembers their first meeting.
Relationships: Porco Galliard/Pieck
Comments: 9
Kudos: 72





	When I Met You

Pieck stumbles up the dirt path and wonders how she had managed to walk up this same hill every morning back when she was still a Warrior candidate. Back then it had been a struggle for her too - she never had the best stamina and was always one of the last people to arrive, her cheeks flushed and sweat dripping down the back of her neck - but now it’s especially challenging as she hobbles forth on her crutches, which don’t seem to be helping her at all. General Magath hovers behind her worriedly, hands stretched out behind Pieck as if to catch her in case she falls. He always does this, worries too much about Pieck despite the Devil blood that runs through her veins. The man has always been strangely kind even back when Pieck and her companions were still students training to be Warriors. 

“I won’t fall over, so stop looking at me like the wind will blow me away,” Pieck tells the general with a fake pout. She waves him away with a crutch, laughing at his scandalized expression. She turns back to the path, moving forward even though her arms ache and her feet are numb. “I don’t know why I let you lead me here, General. I feel like I have to walk slower just to stop those worry lines from permanently wrinkling your face. It might have been better to just go on my own.” 

“Go on your own?” Magath splutters as if the idea is unthinkable to him. It’s strange how fragile he sees Pieck when just days ago she was on the battlefield killing hundreds of enemy soldiers at the bat of an eyelash. As if she’s not a monster and just an ordinary soldier that needs to rest after a battle. Then again, the man has always been strange that way. Now, his frown deepens, Pieck’s lighthearted words doing nothing to lessen his concern. “I don’t understand why you couldn’t wait for Zeke or Porco to accompany you or wait a week or two until you’ve recovered. It’s not as if the academy is going anywhere.” 

Pieck fights the urge to sigh. Sometimes, General Magath acts more like her father than her superior, but she’d never say this out loud. Instead, she rolls her eyes and says, “Zeke is meeting with a few officials and Porco agreed to meet me here later. He’s grabbing snacks for the kids, but it’d take too long if he brought me along-” Here, Pieck leans over to pat her leg, ignoring Magath’s grimace. “-and today is the perfect day to visit, besides. They get their evaluations today.” 

“Ah, evaluations,” Magath says with a nod. He should know better than her. He had been an instructor for a good time before returning to the field, the new Warriors in tow. He must have evaluated dozens of children before the final candidates had dwindled down to Pieck, Marcel, Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner. “Anyone interesting?” 

Pieck nods. “Zeke might have mentioned them a few times. Zofia is good at working with others and doesn’t crack under pressure. She’s also quite clever; she does incredibly well with written exams. Udo is also quite good - at least on paper. He’s smart, but he lacks confidence.” 

Their last evaluations were quite impressive, if Pieck recalls correctly. Zofia, a slender girl with a thin nose and half-lidded eyes, had bragged to Pieck about her test scores the last time the Cart Titan had come to visit. Pieck recalls the girl making an effort to point out that not only had her test scores improved, but they were much better than the other candidates. Udo was a little more reserved about his accomplishments, but he had shyly offered his evaluation for Pieck to look at and his marksmanship scores and weaponry grades were particularly memorable. 

“And Grice’s younger brother?” Magath asks. “I believe his name is Falco. You know Colt’s brother, of course.” 

“Of course,” Pieck says, the corner of her lip turning upward into a smile. Of course, Magath would take the time to remember the name of a soldier’s younger brother. He’s the type to remember details like that even though other people in Magath’s position would think such information to be useless. “He’s …. well, he’s very passionate. He works hard.” 

Truth be told, Falco fades into the background when thinking about the other candidates. The boy is talented enough to be considered a candidate, but he’s not more impressive than the others in any way. His stamina is decent, his strength is passable, and his written exam scores are acceptable. Falco hadn’t seemed to inherit the strategic mind and perseverance that his older brother Colt possessed, which is a shame. Of course, it’s not necessary for him to become a chosen Warrior when his brother’s future as the Beast Titan is guaranteed, but it’s always an honor for a family to have someone be chosen as a Warrior. It’s even more of an honor to have two. It’s not Falco’s fault. He isn’t even bad, he’s just not outstanding like the rest of his peers. 

Still, Magath nods as if this is enough. “Character like that is hard to build. The instructors should continue to keep an eye on that boy.” 

Pieck doubts this, but she doesn’t say it out loud. Magath knows a thing or two about Warrior candidates after all, so maybe she should keep an eye on Falco. He might be a late bloomer. 

“I find Gabi Braun the most interesting though,” Pieck says. 

The general raises an eyebrow at the name. “Reiner’s cousin?” he asks. He hums when Pieck confirms with a nod. “Another Warrior in the Braun family. Perhaps it’s in their genes. They’d be lucky to have the Armored Titan handed down to a relative.” 

They’d have to call it luck. Gabi is the clear candidate for the Armored Titan. She excelled in nearly everything with the exception of written and oral exams. The young girl was a model Warrior candidate - something that her cousin Reiner never was. In fact, Pieck still thinks it’s a miracle that the Armored Titan had earned his position because she had never found him a formidable opponent when fighting for her spot as a Warrior Candidate. He lacked in nearly everything and his evaluations were poor aside from writing and oral assignments. Reiner was, in every way, the exact opposite of Gabi. Pieck had thought Porco would inherit the Armored Titan for sure, so she was surprised when it was announced that Reiner would be chosen as the inheritor. Some days she still can’t wrap her head around it. 

“Lucky indeed,” Pieck agrees with a murmur. 

They near the top of the hill where the academy is located. There are children outside, some running around and playing now that today’s lessons have concluded while others lie in the grass to rest. Most of them don’t notice Pieck and Magath strolling up the hill until they’ve reached the gate. It’s a girl that greets them first, shouting Pieck’s name loud enough to have the other children turn their heads and begin running towards Pieck. Pieck’s popularity must surprise Magath because he’s alarmed at the crowd of kids that rushes at Pieck. The kids throw their arms around her, hugging her with so much affection that they nearly knock her to the ground. 

“Ah, did you miss me that much?” Pieck laughs, struggling to stay upright with all these kids piling on her. She pats one affectionately on the head, ruffling their hair. She almost forgets about Magath for a second until she turns her head and sees the man, his forehead wrinkled as he wonders if he should pull the children off her. She grins widely. “No need to worry, General. You’ve left me in good hands with these kids. They’ll take good care of me.” 

At the mention of Magath’s title, the children quickly unstick themselves from Pieck’s limbs and turn towards the general, their hands held up in a salute. Their faces, which had been filled with smiles just seconds before, are now solemn as they look up at Magath. Pieck wants to laugh at the contrast. 

“I’ll leave her in your capable hands then,” Magath says, giving them a salute of his own. The general has the decency not to laugh, but Pieck sees an amused sparkle in the man’s eye before he turns to leave. He gets along well with children. Pieck thinks it’s a shame that the man stopped being an instructor. Nobody speaks until the man disappears from view. 

“That was General Magath, wasn’t it?” a boy says, his voice filled with awe. He turns to Pieck, admiration in his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him up close before.” 

“Work harder and maybe you will,” a voice Pieck recognizes as Zofia says. The girl is in the back, her face smug. Zofia is a little thinner than Pieck remembers, but the girl still has the same half-lidded eyes and choppy blonde bangs that she had when Pieck first met her. “You have to get better if you want to be chosen for missions. You’ll never meet the generals and commanders otherwise.” 

Zofia is referring to the military operations that the candidates are sometimes picked for. Only top candidates are chosen; it’s a way to reward the candidates for their hard work and at the same time offer them experience on the battlefield before they acquire their Titan. It’s no use to have a Titan and not know how the battlefield works. Pieck herself had been on a number of missions when she had been a candidate. Zofia has as well, but not a lot of other children are picked for such missions. Not everyone gets that honor. 

“Miss Pieck,” the child whines, clearly offended. He tangles himself around her arm, sulking into her side. 

“You’ll get them soon,” Pieck says soothingly, patting the boy’s back. 

He looks up, surprised. Maybe even a little bit excited. “I will?” 

Pieck nods. “If you work hard,” she says, pressing her finger to his nose. 

The boy groans, his arms falling away from Pieck as Zofia snickers behind him. The other children laugh too, poking the boy and teasing him. A few have worried looks on their faces, probably worried about not being chosen for a mission anytime in the near future. Pieck used to worry about such things too when she was younger. She has other things to worry about now. 

Udo grabs Pieck’s crutches from her while other kids take her by the hand and lead her to the schoolhouse. They tell her about their day - some long-distance running, lessons on surviving in the wilderness, and history classes before their evaluations were handed out to them - and Pieck nods as she only half-pays attention to their stories. Some even show her their reports, although she only really pays attention to Udo’s and Zofia’s. They have high marks - much higher than their peers - and she makes a mental note to tell General Magath and Zeke when she sees them again. As they get nearer to the classroom, she notices that a familiar head of black is not here with them. 

“Where’s Gabi?” Pieck asks, looking around. It’s strange not to see the lively girl hovering around her with the others. Usually, Gabi is the first one to greet her, pushing her classmates out of the way to get Pieck first. She feels a bit guilty about not noticing the girl’s absence earlier. 

People look away at the mention of Gabi, their gazes fixed on their feet and the dirt road. Pieck isn’t entirely sure why, but she sometimes has the feeling that Gabi isn’t well-liked among her peers. It might be because of jealousy or perhaps the girl’s accomplishments intimidate the others. Nobody offers her an explanation of Gabi's whereabouts, so Pieck wonders if the girl had gone home early for a moment until Zofia speaks up. 

“She’s in the classroom right now. She told us not to bother her,” Zofia explains. Out of everyone, Zofia seems to be the closest to Gabi, although it was more like the two got along alright instead of being actual friends. Even now, Zofia’s voice drops to a whisper as they all approach the schoolhouse. “I think she’s upset about her evaluation.” 

That’s strange. Gabi’s incredibly well-rounded. Even with written and oral exams, the girl’s biggest weakness, Pieck can’t imagine Gabi scoring low enough for it to be worth nothing. 

“Do you know what her evaluation was?” Pieck asks. 

Zofia snorts and looks at the schoolhouse door with a pout. “Of course not. Gabi won’t share that with anyone,” Zofia says, rolling her eyes. It’s not something Zofia would understand, Pieck decides, because her scores were good all-around. Even if the girl had a bad score, she’d probably bounce back quickly. Gabi, on the other hand, takes every ounce of criticism to heart. 

They all stand there, Pieck at the door while the kids huddle behind her, wondering if they’ll actually go in. It’s like they’ve approached a dragon’s lair - half of them are too scared to enter while the other half is curious as to what awaits inside. Is Gabi fuming? Is she crying? Is she sitting in silent shock? Whatever it is, Pieck feels like it’s only polite to grant her privacy instead of trying to talk to her about her evaluation in front of a dozen uninvited children. 

“I’ll talk to her myself,” Pieck tells them with a smile. The disappointed looks don’t go unnoticed and Pieck almost laughs. Children are so strange when they’re competitive. Then again, she might have been the same way back when she was their age. 

The students leave, some a little more reluctantly than the others. Some even straggle behind until Pieck shoos them away, telling them to look out for Porco instead because he should have some treats for them when he arrives. The promise of food - snacks, sweets, and other goodies that they aren’t normally allowed - is enough to get them to leave, any thoughts of eavesdropping on Pieck and her conversation with Gabi forgotten. After the coast is clear, Pieck waits a minute before knocking. 

“Gabi?” Pieck calls. “It’s me, Pieck.” There’s no answer, but Pieck spots a lone figure slumped over a desk when she cracks open the door to take a peek. She raps her knuckles against the door frame to make her presence known in case Gabi hadn’t heard the first time, but the girl simply lets out an angry groan. It’s not exactly an invitation, but Pieck takes a seat beside the sulking girl anyway. 

Gabi doesn’t lift her head up when Pieck sits down next to her, but she does turn her head, her lower lip sticking out in a pout. “Hi, Miss Pieck,” Gabi says. Her tone lacks the girl’s usual abundance of energy. In her hand, she clutches a crumpled piece of paper. It most definitely is the evaluation that Zofia mentioned earlier. 

“What are you doing here by yourself?” Pieck asks. She touches Gabi lightly on the arm, and the girl doesn’t flinch away from Pieck’s hand. That’s a good sign. “Everyone else is playing outside and waiting for Porco to bring snacks. I told him to bring your favorites. You like those chocolate candy cigarettes, don’t you?” 

There isn’t even a hint of a smile on the girl’s face at the mention of her favorite snack. She continues to sit there moodily, rubbing the corner of her evaluation between her two fingers. “I don’t feel like eating.” 

“Are you sure? It might be a while before we visit again, and you know Reiner can’t afford to keep buying you snacks all the time.” Pieck lays her head down on the table next to Gabi’s. When she smiles, Gabi returns it with a scowl. “All your friends might eat the snacks before you get a chance to have even one.” 

Gabi’s frown deepens and she turns away from Pieck, hiding her face in her elbow. “Doesn’t matter. They’re not my friends anyway.” Her voice is muffled by the sleeve of her shirt. 

Pieck raises an eyebrow. Gabi’s never been incredibly sociable, but she’s never been this hostile towards her classmates. Curious, Pieck sneaks a peek at Gabi’s evaluations. There aren’t any horrible marks - they’re all in the nineties, a few high eighties, and even a hundred here and there - but there are a few subjects that Gabi’s elbow is covering. She purses her lips, finger tapping on the desk. After a moment, Pieck asks quietly, “Are you upset about your evaluation scores, Gabi?” 

Gabi finally sits up, a terrible glare on her face. Her classmates were right to be afraid. Her face is flushed red, although Pieck suspects it’s from anger rather than embarrassment or crying. Gabi isn’t the type to cry about these things. “Did Zofia tell you?” Gabi’s eyes narrow as she glowers at Pieck. 

Pieck decides not to tell Gabi that Zofia had told her about the evaluations. If anyone can handle an angry Gabi, it would probably be Zofia, but Pieck doesn’t want her to deal with that if she doesn’t have to. Instead, Pieck rubs soothing circles on Gabi’s back. “Can I take a look at them? It probably isn’t as bad as you think it is.” 

The girl continues to glare at Pieck, but the Cart Titan just stares back, expression neutral. After a while, Gabi finally sighs and removes her elbow from the paper, allowing Pieck to look at the paper. 

Pieck takes the paper in her hand, her eyes scanning through the subjects and their corresponding scores. As expected, Gabi’s grades are stellar. Her lowest grades are in history and speaking, but even those scores are an improvement from last term. Pieck’s eyes continue to wander downward until she finds an anomaly among the high scores - cooperation. The box beside it is marked with a large 0, somehow angrier and more savage-looking than the other scores despite being written with the same red pen as the other numbers. Gabi’s teamwork skills have never been that high, but a 0 is abysmal. No wonder the girl is miserable. 

“...Do you have a problem working in teams, Gabi?” Pieck asks, trying to keep her tone light as she sets the paper down. She looks at Gabi cautiously, gauging the girl’s reaction. 

“I don’t,” Gabi says. Her thick brows furrow and she sucks in her cheeks the way she does when she’s angry. “Everyone else just sucks.” 

Pieck has to stifle a laugh, coughing behind her hand to hide her smile. She really shouldn’t be encouraging this behavior, but some of the things the kids say are so ridiculous she can’t help laughing. “I’m sure they’re not that bad,” Pieck says. She hopes that her stoic face is convincing. Then again, Gabi is too busy glaring at the 0 on her evaluation form to pay any attention to Warrior’s facial expression. 

“I don’t even understand why I have to learn how to work with others,” Gabi mutters. She leans back roughly against her chair, slouching with her legs splayed out. “It’s not as if I’ll be controlling the Armored Titan with others. It’s not like the Cart Titan where you have to work with other people to be fully operational.” She glances at Pieck for a moment and, as if remembering who she was speaking to, tacking on a mumbled, “No offense.” 

Pieck shrugs off Gabi’s words, not at all bothered. It’s true that the Cart Titan is the least capable Titan for combat. Its form made it too awkward to fight in combat and it was not anywhere near as agile as the Jaw or Armored Titan. Its strength lay in its ability to transport equipment and carry military weapons, requiring soldiers to work alongside it to operate the machinery. While the other Titans didn’t need extra equipment to be useful on the battlefield, that didn’t mean that cooperation was useless for them. 

“Do you think your cousin Reiner got where he was from doing whatever he wanted and not listening to others?” Pieck says with a laugh. 

Gabi has stopped glaring now, but her lower lip is still sticking out in a pout. Still, she looks at Pieck curiously, wondering what the Warrior has to say, so Pieck proceeds. 

“The only reason why the Warriors work so well together is because we’re able to work as a team. We listen to Zeke, our commander, as well as our military superiors. If we didn’t, we’d be a mess out there on the battlefield. The enemy would massacre us and it wouldn’t matter how powerful our Titan forms are,” Pieck says. She brushes away a stray lock of hair from Gabi’s forehead. 

The young girl’s brow is still furrowed and she looks as if she wants to argue with Pieck, but there isn’t anything to argue about. It doesn’t matter what Gabi thinks. Pieck is the one with more military experience and the one with a Titan. She knows better than Gabi. After a moment, Gabi asks, “How am I supposed to work with people if they don’t like me?” 

It seems like such an ordinary question to ask - not at all about how to get better in combat or improve stamina or anything about surviving during a battle - that Pieck almost laughs, but the girl is looking at her so earnestly that Pieck swallows her smile. “You guys don’t have to like each other, at least not at first,” Pieck replies. There are still people in the military that she hates working with, but she’s not going to tell Gabi that. That’s something the girl can figure out on her own. “Just try to work well with them - listen to them, take into account their concerns, be open to suggestions - and maybe you’ll like them better.” 

“That’s impossible,” Gabi scowls, arms folded over her chest. Her mind has already been made up about her classmates. The girl is incredibly stubborn. It’ll take a while for her mind to change about her classmates. Gabi sneaks a curious glance at Pieck and then, without warning, asks, “Did you get along well with Porco when you first met him?” 

“Porco?” Pieck isn’t sure why the name startles her so much. Maybe it’s because she was expecting Gabi to ask about someone else like Zeke, who Pieck has worked with much longer than Porco. 

Gabi nods. “My instructor said you two work incredibly well on the field together. ‘Perfectly in sync,’ she said.” As she says this, the girl looks almost envious. She looks at Pieck suspiciously as if the Cart Titan has been hiding some secret from her. “What did you think of him when you first met?” 

“When we first met?” Pieck says with a laugh. “That was so long ago though…” Her voice begins to trail off as she recalls meeting Porco. 

* * *

_Pieck had, of course, met Porco before. They had been Warrior candidates at the academy and trained side-by-side. She had even had a few conversations with him back then - ordinary conversations about the weather and musings about the lessons they would have - but nothing they discussed was memorable. Of her classmates, Porco had been one of the more memorable of her peers. He was good on the field, skilled at fighting, and had an intellectual acuity for battlefield strategies, especially in large formations. She, along with many others, had thought Porco was the logical choice for the Armored Titan, so it was a surprise when Reiner Braun was announced in his place. The surprise didn’t last, however, and Pieck had been quick to accept it, her memory of Porco and his discontent scowl fading in the back of her mind. It was only five years later that she saw him again, only this time he was no longer Porco Galliard, the candidate that had failed to become the Armored Titan, but Porco Galliard, the one chosen to inherit the Jaw Titan._

_“Meet the Jaw Titan,” Zeke says as he introduces (or, really, re-introduced) Porco to Pieck._

_“We’ve met before,” Porco says at the same time Pieck is thinking it. Still, he offers a hand for Pieck to take and she shakes it, noting how rough and weathered it is in hers. He has a strong grip though, which she takes as a good sign before she lets go._

_“We trained together,” she explains to Zeke._

_“And fought together,” he adds. There’s an awkward silence between them - from Pieck because she can’t recall seeing Porco on the field and from Porco because he doesn’t know how to proceed from there. It must be that the silence is getting to him because Porco clears his throat and clarifies, “I was a part of the infantry.”_

_“Ah,” Pieck says with a nod, pretending like she remembers even though she doesn’t. There are so many people on the field every day. The only people she really knows are the ones that work alongside her, manning the artillery on the Cart Titan’s back._

_The commander claps the two on the back. “Well, you two will be fighting side-by-side more often once Porco takes hold of the Jaw Titan,” Zeke says. He looks at Porco. “The ceremony is this weekend, isn’t it?”_

_“Ah, yes,” Porco says, a bit startled at the attention. He offers up a bag that he’s been holding. Inside are snacks of every kind - sweet things like muffins and cookies and savory snacks like sausages and jerky. They’re the types of things Eldians can’t afford to buy unless their families had a member that inherited a Titan. Zeke and Pieck both stare down at the snacks and Porco clears his throat. “I bought them to celebrate. Er, if you want any.”_

_“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” Zeke asks, raising his eyebrow. He reaches in and plucks out a bag of jerky. He tears open the wrapping easily, snapping off a piece of the dried beef with his teeth. “Ah, but this is good. Thanks, Porco.” He ruffles the man’s head as if Porco were a child and not a man about to inherit one of Marley’s most powerful weapons._

_“No problem,” Porco mumbles, cheeks flushing at the simple words of thanks. He notices that Pieck still hasn’t taken anything so he offers the bag to her, holding it under her nose. “Take some.”_

_Pieck looks down, observing the wide selection. There are only three of them, so there wasn’t really a need to get so much food. These are all snack foods besides, but maybe Porco enjoys snack foods or maybe he’s hoping to save some for his family later. After a moment she looks at him, frowning as she jokingly tells him, “You don’t have my favorite in here.” Behind her Zeke snorts, but Porco looks at her in alarm like he’s afraid he’s actually offended her._

_“Which one’s your favorite?”_

_“Don’t tease him when he’s nervous enough as it is, Pieck,” Zeke says with a chuckle. He’s already halfway through the packet of jerky already._

_“Those little sweet crackers. The ones with the scallop edges and sprinkled with sugar. You know the ones?” she asks Porco. She feels bad immediately afterward because the man’s now frowning down at his bag of food. It almost looks like he’s trying to will one of the snacks to transform to Pieck’s favorite treat. Hastily, Pieck makes a grab for a random pack of food and pulls out a licorice wheel. It’s not ideal, but it could be worse. She makes a show of waving it in Porco’s face, a smile on her face. “Nevermind. These will do. Thanks, Porco!”_

_He grunts in response but still seems troubled. Even as Zeke continues to talk to them - discussing future plans now that they’ve reacquired the Jaw Titan and the need to prevent neighboring countries from invading - he seems distracted, nibbling at a chocolate wafer nervously and nodding every once in a while. Watching him makes Pieck feel guilty and she almost wants to put down her licorice wheel and apologize, but doing that in the middle of a conversation with Zeke might make the poor man feel even more awkward so she unwinds the licorice wheel and eats it inch by bitter inch. It’s only after Pieck has eaten another licorice wheel - a raspberry-flavored one, which was more bearable than the black licorice wheel before - and Zeke has inhaled nearly all of the jerky and sausage that Porco abruptly gets up to excuse himself, mumbling something about coming back soon._

_“Do you think I made him uncomfortable?” Zeke asks before Pieck can._

_She snorts, nearly choking on her raspberry candy. “You? Why would you make him uncomfortable?”_

_“Because,” Zeke says solemnly, “I am his superior, so I might intimidate him. Also, I’ve been told that I’m very handsome.”_

_Pieck almost rips off a piece of licorice and pelts it at the commander. She doesn’t, of course. That would be a waste of food. She rolls her eyes instead. “I probably shouldn’t have teased him like that when I barely know him, but I didn’t think he’d be so sensitive.” Pieck takes another bite of her licorice, gagging at the strange mixture of artificial raspberry and bitter licorice taste. She probably shouldn’t have taken another licorice wheel, but she decided it would be an apt punishment. “Do you think we’ll get along well?”_

_Zeke shrugs as if it doesn’t matter. He’s surprisingly unconcerned about all this. “It’ll all work out eventually,” he says before giving Pieck a wicked grin. “And if it doesn’t, we can say it’s your fault.”_

_“You’re terrible,” Pieck grumbles, sitting back in her chair._

_“I’m sure you’re just overthinking it,” Zeke says reassuringly. He leans forward and looks through the bag of snacks, frowning when he doesn’t find what he’s looking for. “He’s probably just the shy, quiet type. He’ll warm up to us eventually.”_

_“Or maybe,” Pieck says, pointing at Zeke, “he’s had enough of us already and ran away.” It seems to be the only logical explanation as to why the man hasn’t returned yet._

_“He probably just went to the bathroom.”_

_“That’s an awfully long bathroom break.”_

_“It happens,” Zeke says sagely._

_Just then the door swings open and in barges Porco, another bag in his hand. It’s not filled to the brim this time and Pieck and Zeke can only see its contents when Porco haphazardly tosses it between them, peering in curiously to find the sweet sugar crackers that Pieck had spoken about before. They look at him, eyebrows raised, but Porco simply slouches down in his chair, his head hanging so that he doesn’t have to look either of them in the eye. Pieck can’t decide if the man’s just shy or awkward. It could be a combination of both._

_Gingerly, Pieck takes a packet of crackers, holding it up and inspecting it as if seeing the treat for the first time. “Did you,” she asks slowly, “buy this just because I said it was my favorite?”_

_“No, of course not,” Porco snaps a little too quickly. He must feel that his response is too harsh because he says, quieter this time, “I just started craving them because you were talking about it earlier. You can have some if you’d like.”_

_“Thanks,” Pieck says, trying hard not to giggle. He’s both awkward and shy then, she thinks as she rips open the plastic wrap and nibbles on the cracker. And thoughtful. That’s a good trait to have in a teammate._

_Porco grunts in response, taking a pack of crackers of his own and chewing them silently across from Pieck. Zeke, however, does not take any. The commander just frowns at the bag a little unhappily and, after a moment, says, “You didn’t buy any more sausages on your way back?”_

_“I’m sorry, sir, I’ll go get some immediately!” Porco says, already getting up to run out of the room._

_Pieck grabs onto his shirt and yanks him back down before he can escape. “Relax, he’s just kidding!” She gestures to the unfinished crackers in his hand. “Eat up.”_

_Confused, Porco looks from Pieck and then to Zeke who’s smiling at him rather apologetically. It’s only then that Porco truly relaxes, sitting back against the chair and eating his crackers a little less carefully now, crumbs spilling onto the front of his shirt._

_He’s most definitely awkward, Pieck thinks as she hides her smile behind another bite of cracker, but that’s nothing that she can’t work with. They’ll get along well for sure._

* * *

“When I first met him?” Pieck repeats. She looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully, staring up at the boards that she used to stare at as a child. She then turns her gaze back to Gabi, a mischievous smile on her lips. “Cute.” 

Gabi’s surprised for a moment, the answer unexpected, and then her nose crinkles in an expression that’s almost like disgust. “ _Cute?_ ” 

“Yes,” Pieck says cheerfully. She wants to giggle at Gabi’s scowl. She probably should have given the girl a more serious answer, but Gabi needs to learn to lighten up a little if she wants to work with others. “Some people think he’s quite handsome, you know.” 

“I guess,” Gabi mumbles, although the frown on her face says that she hasn’t really thought about it. Or maybe she just doesn’t think Porco is handsome. Pieck will have to tell Porco about this. 

“Well, it’s fine if you don’t get along with them immediately,” Pieck tells Gabi. She reaches out to play with the loose strands of hair that are falling out of Gabi’s bun, smiling fondly as she does so. “Just pick someone that you think you can work with well. Someone you can tolerate. And then maybe you’ll learn how to be a team with them. Who knows, you might even become the best of friends.” 

Gabi sulks for a bit and side-eyes Pieck. “Do they have to be ‘handsome’?” 

The elder snorts. “No. It doesn’t matter what they look like.” 

The girl sits there thinking for a bit, mulling over the possible candidates. Her brown eyes flicker over the empty desks in the classroom as she recalls all her classmates. After a bit, she finally says, “I think I’ll work with Falco first.” 

Pieck is only a little surprised. She probably would have picked Zofia - her skillset is more evenly matched to Gabi’s than Falco’s is - but it does make sense that Gabi would choose the boy over Zofia. He isn’t as headstrong as Zofia is and is less likely to clash with the stubborn Braun girl. The two might also make a surprisingly good pair, Pieck thinks. Falco could improve Gabi’s cooperation scores and might also get her used to working with others and Gabi might be able to help the boy improve in all the subjects he’s having trouble with. Pieck definitely approves of the match. 

“I think that would be a good idea,” Pieck says with a smile. She rubs the top of Gabi’s head. “Why don’t you go find him right now? Working on the field is good, but team building is easier if you get along well in your downtime too.” 

Gabi looks a little aggravated, but she gets up anyway. “Fine,” she huffs. The girl grabs her bag and tosses it over her shoulder, her evaluation crumpled in her hand. She maneuvers around Pieck and heads toward the door. She only turns back when her hand is on the knob. Her expression isn’t exactly happy right now - the girl is probably still focused on improving her scores for next term - but she gives Pieck a quick smile and a wave. “Thanks, Miss Pieck. I’ll let you know how it goes.” 

“See you later, Gabi,” Pieck says cheerfully. 

The young Warrior cadet leaves, the door just about to swing shut before someone’s hand reaches out to stop it. Outside, Gabi speaks to someone, but her voice is too quiet for Pieck to pick up the conversation. The other voice is much lower, much more mature, and Pieck realizes just who it is although she can’t hear a word that the speaker is saying. When the speaker steps in, Pieck greets him with a wide smile. 

“Porco.” 

“Pieck,” Porco replies. He raises a hand, showing her a bag that’s less than half-filled with treats. Her friend approaches, dropping the bag onto the table. He takes a seat on the desk, ignoring the many empty chairs around them, and folds his arms across his chest. “Those little gremlins nearly ate everything. I gave Gabi a few biscuits and chips before she left. You’re lucky I still have some things leftover for you.” 

Pieck purses her lips as she takes a peek inside. There are different flavored licorice wheels - strawberry, raspberry, and the original black licorice - and a few packs of sugar crackers. The Titan Shifter takes the crackers, ripping open the wrapper and biting a cracker. It’s nice and sweet and flaky on her tongue. “How blessed I am to have you as a friend,” Pieck hums.

Her companion rolls his eyes as he takes a licorice wheel and bites into it, not bothering to unravel it and eat it in a strand like most other people would. “Blessed is a word for it,” he mumbles. 

Pieck takes another bite, savoring the taste of butter and sugar on her tongue. Truth be told, sugar crackers weren’t really her favorite snack, at least not back then. She had only said that in jest and hadn’t bothered to tell Porco afterward. He had gone through all that trouble to bring the crackers for her that night. It gave her a deeper appreciation for the snack. After she polishes off a pack, she leans forward on the desk, tipping her chin upward so that she can get a better view of Porco. “Porco, what did you think of me when we first met?” 

“What did I think?” Porco repeats. He bites off another piece of the licorice wheel, chewing thoughtfully as he remembers their first meeting. He swallows and answers, “I thought you were weird.” 

Pieck wrinkles her nose. It’s not exactly the answer she was expecting. “Why weird?” 

“You ate, like, three licorice wheels when I first met you,” Porco replies. He finishes his licorice wheel and reaches for a pack of crackers. He pulls one out first and looks at it before licking the sugar crystals on its surface. “Nobody likes licorice that much.” 

“Hmm.” She supposes she won’t tell him the real reason she was eating the licorice wheels. Or the fact that eating all that licorice at once has given her a fondness for the snack now. 

“Why?” Porco asks. “What about you? What was your first impression of me?” 

_Awkward. Shy. Endearing._ Pieck grins up at him. “I thought you were perfect,” she says.

It’s a comment that might have made him blush in their earlier days together, but now Porco just shoves a cracker in her mouth. “Don’t be weird,” he tells her. He hops off the desk, grabbing the bag of snacks. “Let’s go grab some food now. This stuff is good, but it’s hardly a meal.” 

“Get me my crutches? I think Udo left them leaning against the schoolhouse,” Pieck says. She pushes herself out from her seat and grabs the arm Porco offers her, letting him help her up. She smiles when he reaches over to push her chair in as well as the chair Gabi had left out when she left, and leans against his broad shoulder. 

“What do you feel like eating tonight?” Porco asks as he leads them to the door. 

“Pork?” Pieck says, tilting her head to see how Porco feels about it. 

He nods. “Jägerschnitzel?” he asks. 

Ah, pork cutlets with a crispy breadcrumb crust and chopped mushrooms, a rich gravy sauce poured all over. It’s perfect with a side of steamed beans and mashed potatoes. Pieck’s hungry just thinking about it. She really can’t think of a better meal right now. 

“Perfect,” Pieck says, squeezing Porco’s arm. She looks up at him fondly. “We make a good team.” 

“Yeah,” Porco replies. He pushes open the door for Pieck, letting her go out first before he shuts the door behind them. He collects her crutches for her, handing them to her, and waits as she adjusts herself. “I guess we do.” 

**Author's Note:**

>  **Note #1:** I do like to write GalliPieck every once in a while. Pieck is so fun and I think Porco is fun when he's paired with her whether it's platonic or romantic. Someone asked me to write something about them and that it could be romantic or platonic and it made me sooo happy because I love writing things like that. 
> 
> **Note #2:** I've noticed that I like to write about food a lot - I'll slip it in sometimes - and I like to put in strange habits characters might have. I like to imagine Porco eats strangely because it amuses Pieck and it annoys Reiner. He's the type to eat a KitKat without breaking it in half first and stare Reiner dead in the eye as he does it. 
> 
> **Note #3:** I have come to really like Magath in the later chapters (although I'm still a little bit behind). I like to put in supporting characters a lot so I hope I wrote him well :) 
> 
> **Note #4:** A good song for this would be ONF's "[Complete](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka9zaVL28OY)". Maybe a little bit too romantic lyric-wise, but the sound of it matches the mood for it. I listened to it while I was writing it the past weekend. I only started listening to them more recently after they performed on Road to Kingdom. Elimination shows are so nerve-wracking but ONF's stages were very worth it and I think they really upped their artistry and creativity on stage as well! 
> 
> **Note #5:** I hope everyone is doing well~ I'm not sure if I have been doing better. I think in terms of headspace I'm better but my situation hasn't changed very much. I miss going outside a lot. I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! Thank you all for reading ^^


End file.
